Paying attention

Success or failure, the truth of a life really has littleto do with its quality. The quality of life is inproportion, always, to the capacity for delight.The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.

Julia Cameron

My mind wanders … a lot. In fact, I would so far as to say that I spend most of my time either reliving and analysing the past, contextualising the present, or amusing myself with possible futures. So, what happens to the physical world while the mind is elsewhere? It passes by unabsorbed and unappreciated.

The gift of the mind is that it’s your private space, but what goes on in the real world is far more important.

Every now and then I get a fit of restlessness. I realise that I’ve wasted great chunks of time thinking about stuff (mostly inconsequential) and completely ignored my other senses. I forget how absolutely satisfying living in the now is. It’s rich with sensation and magic that you’ll never get back once the moment has gone.

Next time you see me, click your fingers in front of my face and ask ‘oi, are you with me?’